MKTG 440
“I have been struck again and again by how important measurement is to improving the human condition”
— Bill Gates
Measurement is the process of assigning numbers or labels to objects, events, or people according to pre-specified rules.
These rules should…
There are four primary scales used in marketing research:
Each scale type
Nominal scales use numbers as labels to identify and classify objects into distinct categories.
Examples:
Ordinal scales take a step beyond nominal scales by ranking or ordering objects based on the relative amount of a characteristic.
Interval scales have the properties of ordinal scales, with equal intervals between scale points.
Ratio scales have equal intervals (all of the properties of interval scales) and a true zero point.
| Property | Nominal | Ordinal | Interval | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Describe | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Preserve order | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Equal intervals | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Natural zero | ✓ |
Moving from left to right:
What is your primary source of income? (Nominal)
○ Employment
○ Investments
○ Inheritance
○ Other
What is your income bracket? (Ordinal)
○ Less than $20,000
○ $20,000 - $50,000
○ $50,001 - $100,000
○ More than $100,000
What is your annual income? $_________ (Ratio)
What is the highest level of education for the head of the household?
○ Less than high school
○ Some high school
○ High school graduate
○ Some college
○ College graduate or higher
| Property | Yes/No |
|---|---|
| Describe | |
| Preserves order | |
| Equal distance | |
| Natural zero |
Please provide the zip code of your home address: ___________
| Property | Yes/No |
|---|---|
| Describe | |
| Preserves order | |
| Equal distance | |
| Natural zero |
On an average day, how many cigarettes do you smoke?
○ Less than half a pack
○ Half to one pack
○ Over one pack
| Property | Yes/No |
|---|---|
| Describe | |
| Preserves order | |
| Equal distance | |
| Natural zero |
How likely are you to attend the Arizona Homecoming football game next year?
_______% chance (0-100)
| Property | Yes/No |
|---|---|
| Describe | |
| Preserves order | |
| Equal distance | |
| Natural zero |
| Property | Yes/No |
|---|---|
| Describe | |
| Preserves order | |
| Equal distance | |
| Natural zero |
A measure of central tendency describes the location of the center of a distribution of data.
| Nominal | Ordinal | Interval | Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Appropriate | Appropriate | Appropriate | Appropriate |
| Median | Inappropriate | Appropriate | Appropriate | Appropriate |
| Mean | Inappropriate | Inappropriate | Appropriate | Appropriate |
4,000 participants were asked their age:
| Age Group | Responses |
|---|---|
| 0-18 | 250 |
| 19-34 | 1,320 |
| 35-49 | 2,745 |
| 50+ | 315 |
A scale’s reliability refers to its consistency, the ability to get the same result repeatedly. A scale’s validity refers to its accuracy, whether it measures what it is supposed to measure.
Ways to measure reliability
To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements:
Housing in Tucson is affordable.
…a few pages later…
Housing in Tucson is expensive.
Validity refers to the accuracy of a scale in measuring what it is intended to measure.
Sensitivity refers to a scale’s ability to detect differences that exist in the construct being measured.
Discussion: Should we always use the most sensitive scale possible?
Thoughts?
The problem: There is no single definition or measure of brand loyalty, unlike something like age or income.
Possible solution: Use multiple (more easily measured) indicators that together reflect the underlying construct of brand loyalty. The more our conglomerate of factors is positive, the more confident we are that brand loyalty is also positive.
Constructs are abstract concepts that are not directly observable or measurable
How satisfied are you with the quality of our products?
| Strongly disagree (1) |
Disagree (2) |
Neutral (3) |
Agree (4) |
Strongly agree (5) |
|
| 1. Wikipedia has a user-friendly interface. | ○ | ○ | ○ | ⊗ | ○ |
| 2. Wikipedia is usually my first resource for research. | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ⊗ |
| 3. Information on Wikipedia is very accurate. | ○ | ○ | ⊗ | ○ | ○ |
| 4. Wikipedia is a great service for society. | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ⊗ |
| Strongly disagree (1) |
Disagree (2) |
Neutral (3) |
Agree (4) |
Strongly agree (5) |
Score | |
| 1. Wikipedia has a user-friendly interface. | ○ | ○ | ○ | ⊗ | ○ | 4 |
| 2. Wikipedia is usually my first resource for research. | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ⊗ | 5 |
| 3. Information on Wikipedia is very accurate. | ○ | ○ | ⊗ | ○ | ○ | 3 |
| 4. Wikipedia is a great service for society. | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ⊗ | 5 |
| 17 | ||||||
Overall attitude score: 17/20 or 4.25/5
| Construct | (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) | (5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attitude | Very Bad | Bad | Neither Bad Nor Good | Good | Very Good |
| Importance | Not at All Important | Not Important | Neutral | Important | Very Important |
| Satisfaction | Very Dissatisfied | Somewhat Dissatisfied | Neither Dissatisfied Nor Satisfied | Somewhat Satisfied | Very Satisfied |
| Agreement | Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neither Agree Nor Disagree | Agree | Strongly Agree |
Note: There are many other examples on Qualtrics
MKTG 440 | Prof. Nolan